Gas-operated gun.



` to obtain sulicient WILLIAM H. SQUIRE, OF ST- DENIS, FRANCE.

GAS-OIPERATEDl GUN.

Specification of Letters Patent. i

Patentdnec. so., wie.

` Applicationmeaapriis,1912. serialNo. 689,204.

To all ywhom it may conce/rn:

Be it known that I, VILLIAM H. SQUIBE, a citizenof the United States, and residing in St. Denis, Seine, France, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Gas-Operated Guns, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in gas-operated guns in which a portion of the powder-gas is utilized for 'operating the gun, and more particularly to that type of gas-operated gun described in U. S. Letters Patent No. 861,939, granted to L. V. Benet and H; A. Mercie July 30, 1907. This class of guns is operated by allowing a portion of the powder-gas to escape through an oriiice in the barrel and then impinge against a A movable element of the breech actuating mechanism. lVhen service ammunition is used in firing guns of this type the resistance offered by the metal bullet in its passage through the ritl'ed bore of a service barrel is ample to 4force the necessary powdergas through the gas oriiice to eect the operation of the breech mechanism; but when practice ammunition is employed4 with a. service barrel the resistance offered to the passage of the powder-gas through the bore is insuiiicient to force the necessary powder. gas through the gas orifice to effect thesuc-v cessful operation of the gun. i

Various devices have been used to force the required gas through the gas orifice, when employing practice ammunition provided with wooden bullets in connection with a service barrel, as for instance alxture attached to the muzzle of the barrel, said fixture including a plug provided'with a hole smaller in diameter than the bore of the barrel and alined with the latter so that the wooden bullet on entering the relatively small hole of the plug will choke the bore and oifer enoughresistance to the powdergas to force a sufficient quantity of the latter through the gas-or1ice to operate the gun. The results thus obtained have been unsatisfactory for the reason thatin order gas pressure to operate the gun, the hole in the plug must be small and the erosive action of the hot gases and wooden bullets forced through this small hole soon detroys the plug, and in case the hole becomes clogged` destruction of the entire fixture results. The use of service barrels in firing practice ammunition in guns of this type is also objectionable' owing to tion may be utilized in tiring a gas-operated i a gun and which will obviate the defects prev1ously noted and enable the use of muzzle tiXtures to be dispensed with.

Broadly'speaking my invention resides in the provision of a practice barrel adapted for detachable association with a. gas-operated gun of the type referred to, in lieu of the ordinary so constructed and arranged that the assage of powder-gas through the bore therewill be suiiiciently resisted at a point forward of and relatively near the gasoritice to assure the certainty of action of the gun.

In describing lthe invention in detail reference will be made to the accompanying drawings wherein like characters of reference denote corresponding parts in the several views, and in which:

Figure l is a side .elevation of a gas-operated gun having my improved practice barrel associated therewith, a part of the gun being shown in section and the outer end of the stock removed; Fig, 2, a longitudinal section of the practice barrel, same being detached from the gun and on'an enlarged scale; F ig. 3, a section on the line 3 3 of Fig. 2; Fig. 4, a section on the line 4-4 of Fig. 2; and Fig. 5, a section on the line 5 5 of Fig. 2.

In the drawings my improved practice barrel is `indicated generally at A and iS shown in Fig. l associated with a gas-operated gun of the type described in U. S. Letters Patent No. 861,939. This gun includes in addition to the barrel A, a receiver B and stock C. Supported by the receiver B and stock C is the usual breech closure mechanism, tiring mechanism, feed mechanism and extractingv mechanism all of which are fully described in U. S. Letters Patent No. 861,939 and will hereinafterfbe termed in their combined relation the breech mechanism of the gun. The gun further includes a reciprocating actuator D guided in the receiver parallel-to and below the barrel service barrel, and which is 4ics and so constructed and arranged that the D the same is provided with a cup-shaped.

forward extremity 10 disposed in operative relation to the discharge end of a gas nozzle 11 supported from `the barrel A and communicating with the bore of the latter through the medium of a gas orifice 12` drilled in the barrel. When the bullet in* its passage through` the bore has passed the gas orifice 12 a portion of the powdergas 1ssues from the nozzle 11 `and impinging in the cup-shaped forward extremity of the actuator throws it to the rear. The actuator spring compressed by the actuator in its rearward movement then returns the actuator to its initial position.

The barrel A is provided with a smooth bore A1 which terminates at the breech end of the barrel in an ammunition chamber A2, while the adjacent end of the barrel is provided with an inclined ammunition guide face A3. The muzzle extremity 13 of the bore is of, less diameter than the chamber extremity 14, the diameter of the latter being determined by the caliber of the practice ammunition to be employed. These two diameters f the bore are joined by an intermediate tapered portion 15, the major end of which is disposed forward of and relatively near the gas orifice 12. The dif.-

ference in diameter between the muzzle and chamber extremities of the bore may be varied as may also the positionA of the tapered portion 15 and the muzzle extremity 13 relatively to the gas orifice 12, it being essential only that the tapered portion 15 and muzzle extremity 18-of the bore be located forward of the gas orifice. lThe correct diameter of the Vmuzzle extremity 13 of f the bore and the position of the tapered portion 15. and the muzzle extremity 13 relatively to the gas orifice are both determined by experiment with the particular practice ammunition to be employed.

In the use of the barrel with wooden bullets the relatively large diameter of the bore at the muzzle extremity and the fact that the bore is smooth allows free passagebf the bullets so that there is no clogging or erosion, whilepositioning the choked portion of the bore near the gas orifice results action.

in the gas ori ce to assure certainty of automatic As my practice barrel is used exclusively for practice ammunltion the sharp corners at the entrance to the ammunition chamber A2 are removed and the annoying and frequent stoppages due to splinters from wooden bullets thereby avoided. In addition the inclined face Aa which guides the Eassage of suficient gas through the point of the bullet is carried well forward into the chamber A2 to av d splintering of bullets in the operation of oading.

Accidental firing of service ammunition in 4the ractice barrel may be effectively provided) against by altering the exterior aspect thereof in such manner that mistaking it for a service barrel would be improbable. Further provision against accidental firing of service ammunition ma be made b giving practice bullets a specia form and c ambering the ractice barrel accordingly `so that it will e impossible to feed the service ammunition into the chamber of the practice barrel.

Besides assuring certainty o-f automatic action of the gun and dispensing with the use of muzzle fixtures in the firing of practice ammunition, my practice barrel also effects an economy in service barrels which will be reserved for. service ammunition ex,- clusively with resultant increase in life when relieved of the erosion incident to the us of practice ammunition.

I claim:

A practice ammunition barrel fora gas operated lire-arm having a cartridge chamber at one end and a smoothl bore throughout7 said bore having a predetermined por-` tion thereof from the cartridge chamber forward of constant maximum diameter, a predetermined portion inwardly from the muzzle of constant minimum diameter, and atapered portion connecting the maximum and minimum dia-meter portions,and said barrel further having a gas orifice conimunicating with the portion of .the bore having a maximum diameter. v

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in'presence of two witnesses.v

, WILLIAM I-I. SQUIRE.

Witnesses:

GEORGE E. LIGHT, LUCIEN lMEMMINGER. 

